Leo Elliot of Scarlet Fire Guitars in Dallas Texas was hired in 2016 to build the closest replica of Jerry Garcia’s iconic Doug Irwin guitar, called Tiger for me (Mik Bondy, guitarist of The Garcia Project) as a gift from a loyal fan. Kat and I drove to Dallas in 2016 to get measurements of my hands, and to choose a neck and talk about electronics and frets and tone with Leo.

The tiger was delivered to me on 7-22-17, at a friend’s house in MA. Here is some information on the build:

• Mexican cocobolo
• set-neck configuration
• inlaid and outlined w/ 1/16th inch brass
• Tiger inlaid on an ebony oval, accented with brass
• Neck is curly maple, accented by a vermillion center stripe and accented with thin layers of vermillion and maple
• Gabon ebony fretboard is inlaid with the classic Tiger motif
• Rear of the guitar is a brass outlined, quilted maple and cocobolo oval -The maple oval has a 1/16th inch red, yellow and blue marquetry strip around its circumference. The cocobolo oval is inlaid with an art deco style flower of two types of abalone, MOP, and brass.
• Electronics cover is cut out of the same piece of cocobolo as the back and is outlined with brass.
• Pots are NOS military surplus. The volume pot is a 25k value with a logarithmic taper and the neck and bridge tone are controlled by a custom manufactured, 250k/500k value Allen Bradley style, dual Mod pot just like the original. The other tone pot is a 500k value linear taper.
• onboard effects loop (OBEL) that allows the output signal from the pickups to be sent to an effects chain and return to the instrument before the volume pot. This was a personal invention of Jerry’s that allowed his signal to remain consistent when using the master volume and it allowed certain FX, like the Mutron III to always see a full input signal no matter what the master vol. on the guitar was set on.
• Unity gain buffer circuit made by wald-electronics.com.
• DiMarzio single-coil pick-up in the neck and two DiMarzio superdistortion humbuckers for the middle and bridge. I cut a one-piece cocobolo surround to mount the single coil, neck pickup in to the humbucker sized hole on the triple ring.
• Kluson reproduction harmonica bridge
• Gold Schaller M6 tuners

Here is Mik Bondy performing on the “Scarlet>Fire Tiger” for the first time on Jerry Garcia’s 75th Birthday Celebration, Presented by The Jerry Garcia Family:

Here is the “unboxing” video:

The Tiger needed a battery, so I put one in and tuned it up. I had a small fender travel amp to try it with. Take a listen to the first song played on Tiger here:

I am looking forward to plugging Tiger into my rig. My current rig is a modded 1967 Fender blackface twin for my pre-amp, a modded 2100 Mcintosh solid state amplifier for my power, two well used JBL e-120 speakers in a handmade Hard Trucker style cabinet, and effects rack with a MuTron, Boss Octive, Boss Delay with tap tempo, MXR Phaser with rate foot pedal mod, Boss Turbo Overdrive, Tubscreamer, Boss OD-1, rack tuner and ground control loop and pedal board. The rig was built and designed by myself over the course of three years.

Here are some photos of Tiger. If you want to hear Tiger through my rig, come on out to a show! The first public show that I will be playing Tiger at is the Jerry Garcia Family official 75th Birthday Celebration on August 1, 2017 at The Brooklyn Bowl. [GET TICKETS HERE]  The Garcia Project will perform a full Jerry Garcia Band show and Andy Falco and friends will perform selections from The Pizza Tapes and more!

Here are the photos of the build of the guitar:

Want your own Tiger, Wolf or Rosebud? Get in touch with Leo Elliot here: http://www.scarletfireguitarsllc.com/tiger/

The Jerry Garcia Family and Brooklyn Bowl Present Jerry Garcia 75th Birthday Celebration featuring The Garcia Project, Andy Falco (of Infamous Stringdusters) & Friends + more!

Brooklyn, NY, 8-1-17 – We are pleased to announce this special event concert to celebrate Jerry Garcia’s 75th Birthday. The event will be held at the popular NYC venue, The Brooklyn Bowl on August 1, 2017 with doors opening at 6:00 PM and showtime at 8:00 PM. The night will consist of a special performance by The Garcia Project of a complete classic Jerry Garcia Band set list from 1976-1995. The band will not announce what show it is recreating until the end of the night.

There will also be an amazing acoustic set: Andy Falco (of the Infamous Stringdusters) and friends do The Pizza Tapes Plus, featuring Jacob Jolliff (Mandolin, of Yonder Mountain String Band), Mik Bondy (Guitar, of The Garcia Project) and Patrick Falco (bass).

TICKET LINK: https://goo.gl/KDTTET

About The Garcia Project:

The Garcia Project is the country’s leading Jerry Garcia Band tribute and many fans have called them the “DSO of JGB”.  The Garcia Project’s performances are recreations of full, classic Jerry Garcia Band set lists from 1976-1995.

More than just a Jerry Garcia Cover Band, using thoughtful arrangements and the proper instrumentation and feel, The Garcia Project faithfully channels and projects the feelings, emotions and music that propelled the Jerry Garcia Band and their fans through the years.

For anyone that never had a chance to experience the Jerry Garcia Band or for fans that want to relive a classic show, The Garcia Project delivers.

Touring across the country, The Garcia Project has made many fans extremely happy. It’s about family, soul searching, rejoicing, contemplating, celebrating, seeking truth and loving one another.

The Garcia Project has received rave reviews from the press:

“The Garcia Project was on point with the whole experience and it didn’t seem like a cover band more like a mirrored band…they are just as real as the Jerry Garcia Band. “ – Buffalo FM Review

“The Garcia Project’s attention to detail on intonation and performance structure does set them apart as an authority on Jerry Garcia.” – NYSMUSIC

“If you close your eyes, you’ll swear you are at a Jerry Garcia Band show.” – ecoLocal Magazine

“The Garcia Project’s attention to detail on intonation and performance structure does set them apart as an authority on Jerry Garcia.” – NYSMUSIC

“It was hard to tell that it wasn’t Jerry signing on “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”” – NYSMUSIC

“In order for a tribute band to be successful, fans need to look at them as the authority on the artist they are emulating. The Garcia Project pulls it off effortlessly. Go see them live …The Garcia Project is the whole package.” – Upstate Live

VIDEO LINK:  https://youtu.be/ySAUbJ8UlKU

AUDIO LINK: https://archive.org/details/TGP2017-04-15.cohoesmusichall

WEB SITE: http://thegarciaproject.com

I have been blessed with the gift of a new, custom guitar for use in The Garcia Project. It is being built by Leo Elliot of Scarlet Fire Guitars (http://www.scarletfireguitarsllc.com) and will be completed in the summer of 2017.

This guitar will be the culmination of everything learned and information gained about Jerry Garcia’s famous “Tiger” guitar. With new, hi res photos from every angle and years of research and information, Leo is building me what appears to be the closest recreation of the “Tiger” that has ever been built.

Leo measured my fingers and hands and observed my playing style in order to make sure the neck was the right thickness and radius and that the strings will be properly spaced. All of the bells and whistles will be included in this, the seventh Tiger guitar Leo has built. The right thickness, the right woods, the right carvings, the brass, the weight, the beauty.

Here are some shots of the process, and I will add any more information and photos as Leo continues to work on it. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section.

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UPDATE: 7-3-17

Fitting The Hardware – Almost done!

Eagle Inlay – Almost Done!

UPDATE 7-19-17: